We’ve got a new No. 1 for the first time this season. A bad week for Harwich, who’s been at the top since week one, coincided with a great week for the Y-D Red Sox.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | THE SKINNY | |
| 1 |  |
Y-D Red Sox | This was initially going to be Harwich by the slimmest of margins, but when you look at the numbers and the 4-0 week, Y-D has just been a little bit better. The Red Sox still lead the league in hitting with a .322 mark that seems to go up more often than it goes down, and the offense has been productive too. Y-D has scored the most runs in the league by a wide margin. The pitching has also been good, with Y-D ranking fourth in ERA. | |
| 2 |  |
Harwich Mariners | Harwich had its worst week of the season, culminating in a 16-10 loss to the Red Sox. If not for an ability to dodge raindrops, it would have been a winless week, but Harwich did get back on track with a win over Falmouth last night. The offense is still looking strong for Harwich and could easily heat up again, but the pitching has shown some holes. | |
| 3 |  |
Cotuit Kettleers | Cotuit continued its climb with a 3-2 week. The Kettleers were ranked eighth two weeks ago, but have surged to the top spot in the West. They rank second in the league in hitting, and while the pitching has struggled a bit, Kevin Ziomek is as good as anybody in the league, while Dan Slania is emerging as the Cape’s top closer. | |
| 4 |  |
Orleans Firebirds | After a 1-5 stretch, Orleans has shown signs of righting the ship, but it was still only a 2-2 week. The Firebirds have continued to struggle with the bats, ranking ninth in hitting, but the pitching will keep them in a lot of games. The Firebirds lead the league in ERA. | |
| 5 |  |
Falmouth Commodores | Last week, I wrote here that Falmouth seemed to never have a bad week. Then, the Commodores went and had a bad week, going 1-5 to fall back to .500. In the meantime, Cotuit jumped them for first place in the West. I can’t imagine them being down for long though. They still rank third in the league in both ERA and batting average. | |
| 6 |  |
Chatham Anglers | Chatham finally got hot and delivered a 4-1 week to move into the thick of the East race. While the team still ranks last in the league in hitting, there have been some good performances lately. The pitching staff has the second-best ERA in the league. | |
| 7 |  |
Wareham Gatemen | Wareham went 2-3 on the week, but the offense continues to show flashes of brilliance. As good a big three as Jagielo, Ervin and Wilson have been in Harwich, the trio of Daniel Palka, Tyler Horan and Kyle Schwarber have been almost as good for the Gatemen. If the pitching ever truly comes around, look out. | |
| 8 |  |
Brewster Whitecaps | While Y-D and Chatham caught fire in the East, Brewster had a 2-3 week to fall a little bit off the pace. It’s pretty much the same story, though — this team is not easy to beat. Ryon Healy continues to lead the league’s third-best hitting team. | |
| 9 |  |
Hyannis Harbor Hawks | Hyannis and Bourne have flip-flopped in these two spots all summer, and the Harbor Hawks move back ahead thanks to a 4-1 week, their best of the season. Brandon Trinkwon is leading an awakening offense, and the starting rotation is quietly emerging as perhaps the best in the league. | |
| 10 |  |
Bourne Braves | Bourne went 2-3 on the week, and it seems like the Braves just haven’t quite hit their stride. Mason Robbins and Colin Moran are pacing a dangerous offense, but the pitching has been inconsistent. Bourne has a team ERA over five, worst in the league. |
Having now seen most of the teams in person, I agree that the Y-D Hitting Machine deserves the top spot. It’s interesting that several of their top players (Mathis, Blair, Asuaje) are not included in their yearbook. Must have been late additions.
And I can’t imagine a weaker Cape League team than Chatham is right now, especially since Pinder has been released and Knapp has been out of the lineup. They are a throwback to the pre-2012 Deadball Era of the CCBL. Despite their current record (which must have been put together with fog and mirrors), I won’t be surprised if they miss out on the playoffs. Brewster is a better team.
In the West, Hyannis is better than their record, and Wareham looks pretty good to me also. I think Falmouth’s current losing streak is no fluke.
Indiana is this year’s Stony Brook. Travis and Schwarber look great. And then there is Manaea from Indiana State. Since when did Indiana become such a baseball hotbed?
The interesting thing about Zak Blair and Carlos Asuaje are that they both were invited to the Cape and participated in the preseason with Harwich as temps. When roster spots and/or appropriate playing time wasn’t going to be available with the Mariners they secured positions with YD.
That’s one thing you see with Harwich a lot is that the coaching staff does a great job of helping their temps continue to fight and live the CCBL dream with other franchises. This year, Blair, Asuaje went to YD, Justin Leeson caught on with Bourne as a full-time player and John Sheridan got another two weeks of play with Wareham.
Wow I did not realize that about those two. Great pickups.
Funny that Tyler Sciacca ended up going the other way a few weeks later.